Massive art donation comes with a $25M gift for 12th Ave — plans for a new Seattle University Museum of Art

(Image: Seattle University)

Dick Hedreen (Image: Yosef Kalinko/Seattle University)

A 12th Ave Seattle University parking lot could become a new art museum and the center of the school’s art holdings as property developer Dick Hedreen has announced he is gifting his family’s 200-piece, $300 million collection of paintings, pottery, photography, etchings, and sculptures to the Jesuit university on the southern edge of Capitol Hill.

The rare handover comes with a $25 million donation to begin the development of the Seattle University Museum of Art, “a teaching museum that will showcase centuries of art history and be a true learning extension of the classroom,” Seattle U says. Continue reading

Homeless man found stabbed to death in 12th Ave alley identified as longtime neighborhood resident

Investigators have identified the man found murdered in a 12th Ave alley as a 68-year-old man who lived unsheltered in the neighborhood.

Medical examiners say Paul Ewell died of “multiple sharp force injuries of the head” early on Saturday, February 10th. His body was discovered later that morning in the alley near 12th and Terrace by a passerby. Continue reading

Police investigating after body found in 12th Ave alley — UPDATE: Homicide

Seattle Police were investigating after a person was found dead Saturday morning in an alley near 12th Ave and Terrace.

A 911 caller reported a body in a pool of blood behind the offices of the Men’s and Women’s Chorus just before 7:30 AM Saturday.

Seattle Fire was called to the scene but the person was reported deceased according to radio updates.

Police were cordoning off the area to investigate the scene and collect evidence. Continue reading

Seattle Women’s Chorus celebrates free expression with free books in little libraries, Banned & Beloved concert

(Image: Seattle Women’s Chorus)

12th Ave is home to the city newest little free library as the Seattle Women’s Chorus headquarters has become a center of celebrating free expression with a banned book drive and Saturday’s performances of a Banned & Beloved concert at First Hill’s Town Hall:

Banning books is a nationwide issue. In just the first half of the 2022-23 school year, there were 1,477 instances of individual books banned, an increase of 28 percent from the second half of the prior school year, the vast majority of which are written by or about LGBTQIA+ individuals and people of color and centered on race, sexual orientation and gender, according to PEN America. Continue reading

Capitol Hill’s MariPili and Central District’s Communion make James Beard 2024 best PNW chefs list

Two Capitol Hill and Central District chefs have made the list as semifinalists for the James Beard award for Best Chefs: Northwest and Pacific. The nominations alone are an honor and a good reminder you should stop by soon.

In the Central District, Kristi Brown of Communion has been honored as a best chef semifinalist. Continue reading

Now lighting up mornings on Capitol Hill: Fuel’s Broadway counter and new starts for Bauhaus and Overcast

What a difference a year makes. Capitol Hill’s coffee and cafe scene has gone from shrinkage to growth with the start of 2024. Fuel is rocking its new place in the Broadway streetscape, the reborn Bauhaus is born again, and Overcast has added its pulls to the Pike/Pine mix with a new space on 12th Ave.

At the top, the famed Vivace walk-up counter has new life as the books and coffee business family behind Fuel took over the caffeine bar with an end of 2023 neon-lit debut on Broadway.

CHS reported here on Fuel’s overhaul of the space below the Casa Del Ray apartments to be its fourth Seattle location and second on Capitol Hill as Vivace decided to end its decades of service at the counter over challenges around staffing and proximity to its Broadway Brix location. Continue reading

No injuries in 12th Ave apartment building fire

12th Ave was closed to traffic as a Seattle Fire ladder crew responded to a fire on the third floor of a four-story apartment building Thursday afternoon.

Units were dispatched to the Olive St and 12th Ave, 2014-built building just before 3:30 PM to a report of light smoke coming from a vent. More crews were quickly called in as a fully involved fire was reported.

SPD closed 12th to traffic during the response on the west side of the street as Seattle Fire brought the blaze under control. The wall fire was reported out after about 30 minutes.

There were no reported injuries. Seattle Fire said the cause was under investigation.

 

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A Capitol Hill closing pizza party as Blotto says goodbye to 12th Ave

(Image: Blotto)

(Image: Blotto)

Blotto is throwing Capitol Hill’s saddest pizza party this week. The 12th Ave pie shop that has grown a following with near perfect sourdough crusts and limited availability is shutting down after three years of business.

“This coming week will be the last week of service at Blotto,” the announcement reads. “This same week 3 years ago we took the plunge and started work on the restaurant that’s been our second (or maybe our first) home ever since.”

The pizza people behind Blotto’s say the property’s owners are in the process of selling the building and apparently the prospect of new landlords and new plans for the corner of 12th and Denny don’t line up. “We decided we’re excited for a new chapter outside the restaurant,” the Blotto crew diplomatically says. Continue reading

911 | Madison gas station robbed at gunpoint, 12th/Cherry phone robbery, thieves boot passenger during Capitol Hill Uber heist

See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt/Signal (206) 399-5959. You can view recent CHS 911 coverage here. Hear sirens and wondering what’s going on? Check out Twitter reports from @jseattle or join and check in with neighbors in the CHS Facebook Group.

  • Madison armed robbery: Seattle Police was searching for two teen suspects in a reported armed robbery Monday afternoon at the E Madison Shell service station. According to SPD, police were called to the station’s convenience store just after 2 PM to a reported robbery involving a firearm. Police say two suspects entered the business “demanding product from behind the counter.” When a worker in the back heard the demands and confronted the suspects, one suspect reportedly began assaulting the employees. The teen suspect then pulled out a pistol with an extended magazine and pointed it while robbing the store. The two suspects described as male and female teenagers fled on foot southbound on 17th and then west on Pike but could not be located by police. Seattle Fire was called to the scene to provide aid to one of the victims injured during the ripoff. An attempted canine track of the suspects could not be completed. There were no reported arrests.
  • 12th/Cherry phone robbery: Multiple victims reported having their phones stolen at gunpoint early Sunday morning in an incident near 12th and Cherry. SPD says the heist was reported just before 1 AM. According to police, the victims were robbed of their phones by a group including three females and two males, one reportedly armed with what appeared to be a rifle. The suspects were reported to have left the scene in a red Toyota SUV. One of the stolen phones was tracked to Renton where the police department attempted to contact the vehicle but it sped away and was not pursued.
  • Uber heist: An Uber driver said her Mercedes was boosted by two thieves as she loaded a passenger’s bags into the vehicle early Saturday morning on Bellevue Pl E. Police say two males jumped into the passenger and driver’s seat and told the Uber customer in the back seat to get out. As the Uber driver went to confront them, a suspect pushed her away and drove off. There were no reported injuries.
 

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Block-long lines, free fries, and spicy hype as Mt. Joy and Dave’s Hot Chicken make their Capitol Hill debuts

Now on 11th Ave (Image: Mt. Joy)

Meanwhile, at Dave’s Hot Chicken (Image courtesy a CHS reader — we owe you a shake)

If you are a chicken, you are going to want to stay the fuck away from Capitol Hill. Over the weekend, two new-era fried chicken chains debuted in the neighborhood amid viral video-driven block-long lines, free fries, and lots and lots of spicy hype.

On 11th Ave, they were celebrating “001” — the first of what could end up a thousand-strong location of Seattle-based sustainable chicken sandwich chain Mt. Joy.

On 12th, the line was an hour long for the Tik Tok-y tenders and shakes of Nashville fried chicken by way of Pasadena super chain Dave’s Hot Chicken. Continue reading